Verisign Q4 2021 report: domain registrations increase by 3.3 million

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) announced that the fourth quarter of 2021 closed with 341.7 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains, an increase of 3.3 million domain name registrations, or 1.0%, compared to the third quarter of 2021.^1,2 Domain name registrations have increased by 1.6 million, or 0.5%, year over year.^1,2

The .com and .net TLDs had a combined total of 173.4 million domain name registrations in the domain name base³ at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of 1.4 million domain name registrations, or 0.8%, compared to the third quarter of 2021. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined increase of 8.2 million domain name registrations, or 5.0%, year over year. As of Dec. 31, 2021, the .com domain name base totaled 160.0 million domain name registrations, and the .net domain name base totaled 13.4 million domain name registrations.

New .com and .net domain name registrations totaled 10.6 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to 10.5 million domain name registrations at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020.

Total ccTLD domain name registrations were 127.4 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of 0.7 million domain name registrations, or 0.6%, compared to the third quarter of 2021.^1,2 ccTLDs decreased by 5.3 million domain name registrations, or 4.0%, year-over-year. Excluding .cn, which experienced a registry-implemented zone reduction during 2021 of 9.4 million domain names, ccTLDs increased by 4.1 million domain names, or 3.8%, year over year.^1,2

Total new-generic TLD domain name registrations were 24.7 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of 1.2 million domain name registrations, or 5.1%, compared to the third quarter of 2021. ngTLDs decreased by 1.3 million domain name registrations, or 5.2%, year over year.

Verisign publishes The Domain Name Industry Brief to provide internet users throughout the world with statistical and analytical research and data on the domain name industry. The Domain Name Industry Brief for the fourth quarter 2021, as well as previous briefs, can be obtained at verisign.com/dnib.

¹ All figure(s) exclude domain names in the .tk, .cf, .ga, .gq and .ml ccTLDs. Quarterly and year-over-year trends have been calculated relative to historical figures that have also been adjusted to exclude these five ccTLDs. For further information, please see the Editor’s Note contained in the full Domain Name Industry Brief.

² The generic TLD, ngTLD and ccTLD data cited in the brief: (i) includes ccTLD internationalized domain names, (ii) is an estimate as of the time the brief was developed and (iii) is subject to change as more complete data is received. Some numbers in the brief may reflect standard rounding.

³ The domain name base is the active zone plus the number of domain names that are registered but not configured for use in the respective TLD zone file plus the number of domain names that are in a client or server hold status. The .com and .net domain name registration figures are as reported in Verisign’s most recent SEC filings.